


Meet my mother

by Alice_h



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Secret Santa, Winter Gift Exchange 2019, catra's mum
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-02
Updated: 2020-01-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:48:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22087408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alice_h/pseuds/Alice_h
Summary: My entry for the She-Ra Winter Gift Exchange.The prompt was "Catra introduces Adora to her biological mother. Stuff happens"
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 107





	Meet my mother

**Author's Note:**

> I had a lot of fun doing this! I hope everyone reading enjoys, but particularly AlphaWolfTitan (https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlphaWolfTitan/pseuds/AlphaWolfTitan) who was my recipient.

“If you press your nose any harder against that window, you’re gonna go through it,” Adora gently patted her girlfriend’s shoulder, making her jump. Catra had been sat on the windowsill for almost fifteen minutes, waiting for their guest to arrive – and that had come after hours of incessant cleaning that morning and the week of stressful planning beforehand for their visitor’s two-night trip.

“I’m sorry, I’m just nervous. You two have never met before and what if you don’t get on? What if you argue and I can’t sort it out and you both hate me and leave me?” Catra’s panicked words almost tumbled out of her mouth without her realising, “What if you’re both too different? She’s a lot to deal with, she might be too over the top for you. Uh, okay… plan… if she’s too much and you need me to take her away just say the word ‘watermelon’. No, would that come up in normal conversation? It wouldn’t, right? Do you say ‘watermelon’ a lot, Adora? Adora?!”

Adora draped her arms around the girl’s shoulders, kissing the back of her head. She spoke slowly and softly, an attempt to calm Catra down, “Okay, let’s just chill out for a second. I’m sure we will get on just fine, and even if we don’t, I won’t argue, and I definitely won’t leave you. Also, I do _not_ need a safe word to meet your mother. Everything will be fine.”

“You think so?” Catra twisted around in her arms, head resting on Adora’s shoulder as she looked up at her.

“I know so.”

Reassurance from Adora was no small thing to Catra. For as long as she had known her, every word of encouragement, every supportive smile and every “it’s going to be OK” had an instant and remarkable effect on reducing Catra’s anxiety. Though they faced countless challenges through their lives, she never felt more capable of getting through the tough times than when she had Adora by her side encouraging her.

Her mother’s visit had been weighing heavily on her from the moment she had planned it. From her earliest memories, Catra had always assumed that she would never know who her biological mother was – it was easier not to think about it and avoid the spiral of thoughts that came with it: did she hate me? would my childhood have been better if she'd never given me up? does she even think about me any more? When this woman appeared in her life four months ago, Catra was initially rather sceptical - she could have been anyone. They met a few times, and after listening to the older woman talk about herself, she became sure that they genuinely were related. Adora was thrilled when she heard the news and had wanted to meet the woman for weeks – now she would have the chance.

As her girlfriend followed up her words of comfort by gently massaging Catra’s neck, she began to relax, her brain starting to come down from its hyper-alert state and her eyelids falling. Adora’s fingers idly grappled away some of the tension she held in her neck and shoulders, and Catra used the moment of silence to settle her breathing. Her ear twitched as she heard a noise, and her eyes shot open to spot her mother sauntering along the garden path.

“She’s here! Adora, fix your hair! Check the hallway is tidy… MOVE!” the calm on Catra’s face was instantly rewritten with anxiety as she jumped down and ran towards the front door of the cottage they shared. Adora followed behind, her own feelings a mix of eagerness to get to know her girlfriend’s mother and nervousness about meeting someone new. Catra fumbled with the door, the lock sticking a couple of times, before she opened it wide to finally reveal her mother. Adora was instantly struck by how alike the two of them looked. If it weren’t for both her mother’s eyes being blue, she could easily have believed that her girlfriend had travelled back in time from 15 years in the future. The older woman had slightly lighter hair, and cut to shoulder length, but the wild way it grew definitely ran in the family. Catra and her mother also shared the same figure, and even a similar fashion sense – she could certainly see her girlfriend wearing the leather jacket and jeans combo their visitor sported.

“Catra!” her mother bubbled with excitement as she walked in, hands full of luggage, “So good to see you again.”

Her daughter shut the door behind her, “Adora, meet my mum. Mum, this is-“

“Adora! Oh!” she dropped everything she was holding, practically leaping towards Adora and enveloping her in a tight hug that the left the girl stunned, “I am so glad to finally meet you, I… Ooh, those muscles!”

“I, uh…”

The older woman turned towards Catra, still gripping tightly onto the blonde girl, “Damn, darling, you’ve got great taste in women! I tell you, if I was ten years younger, I would-“

“Don’t finish that, _please,_ Mum,” Catra shook her head. This was exactly what she meant when she told Adora that her mother was ‘a lot to deal with’.

Adora blushed, “It’s, um, nice to meet you, Catra’s mum.”

“Please, call me Fee. I am your future mother-in-law, after all. But I need to know _all_ about you, let’s sit down and chat,” without giving her a second to process what was happening, she pulled Adora along behind her towards the living room, “Bring my bags in, Catra, please.”

“Yes, mum,” Catra rolled her eyes, surveying the chaos that two minutes of her mother’s visit had already sown. It was going to be a long two days.

* * *

“Take a seat,” Fee ordered, pointing at a chair in which Adora obediently sat, “I need to make sure you’re good enough for my daughter.”

Adora knew this visit would entail a little bit of showing Catra’s mother how much she loved her daughter, but a full-blown trial like this was rather unexpected. If she had anticipated having to defend herself like this, she might have put as much effort into preparing for the woman’s arrival as her girlfriend did.

“Alright…” she took a piece of paper from the pocket of her jacket and unfolded it, clearing her throat before she began, “Question one: how much do you love Catra?”

Adora was caught slightly off-guard by the straightforward way the woman asked such a deep question. It made her wonder for a moment if she had misheard, “Uh, a lot. She’s the love of my life.”

“Hmm, okay. And your future plans – marriage?”

“I, um… I guess one day, maybe? We’ve not really talked about it.”

“Right. We can work on that,” she stroked her chin, “What do you love most about Catra?”

The younger woman stared into space as she thought, “Oh gosh, uh… so much. If I had to pick one thing, then it would be the way that she makes me feel so much stronger when we’re together.”

“Ooh, a very nice answer. Next question, favourite colour.”

“Is this relevant?” Adora furrowed her brow in confusion.

“Yes. Answer the question.”

“Um, ok. Blue.”

“Favourite type of tea?”

“Peppermint.”

“Favourite animal?”

“Horse.”

“Do you have any tattoos?”

“No.”

Fee plucked another piece of paper from her pocket and held it up to Adora, “Reaction to this picture of Catra as a baby playing with a ball of yarn?”

“Wait, what?” she leaned in closer to get a better look, “That’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen! Awww!”

The older woman’s serious tone vanished, “That is the correct answer! You may continue dating my daughter. Also look at her little toes!”

Adora emitted a high-pitched squeak, that being the only thing that could adequately convey her feelings about the tiny child in the picture. Catra must have been barely a year old in the photograph, all chubby cheeks and bow-legs wrapped in strands of red wool. Her hair had just started to fill out, with a big tuft of it sticking up from her head like an antenna. It was, without doubt, the most precious picture of her girlfriend Adora had ever seen.

“What the heck was that noise?” Catra dragged one of her mother’s bags into the room, horror shooting through her when she saw what they were looking at, “Oh you’re not…. No…

“But you were the most adorable little thing, Kitty,” her mother continued, oblivious to Catra’s discomfort, “I can’t tell you, Adora, how many times I used to find her on the floor, sleeping in a sunbeam.”

Adora inhaled sharply, giggling to herself, “She still does that! If it’s sunny out, I know I’m going to walk in and find her napping on the carpet.”

Catra sank to the floor, her head buried in her hands and wishing she was able to vanish completely to get herself away from the embarrassment that her mother’s visit had already decayed into. That being said, Adora wasn’t wrong – there was one spot in their living room that was bathed in bright light for a couple of hours on sunny afternoons. How could anyone resist a nice warm spot on the floor? Adora didn’t know what she was missing out on.

“Does she still like boxes too?” Fee asked, “Back when she was a toddler, she just used to sit inside cardboard boxes and it was like the best toy she ever had.”

“Mum, please…” Catra whined.

Her girlfriend chuckled again, “I did once find her sat in one of the empty boxes when we moved here.”

“We hadn’t moved the chairs in yet! That was the _only_ reason why!”

“Uhuh, are you sure you’re not just a big kitten?” Adora sprung from her chair and ran over, scooping Catra from the floor and attempting to hold her like a baby. The girl’s size and struggles of protest put paid to her efforts, however, and she gave up, instead bringing Catra into a tight hug and kissing the top of her head.

“I hate you sometimes, Adora,” she grumbled, rolling her eyes.

“Aw, I love you too, baby kitty!”

Catra forced herself from Adora’s arms with a grunt of frustration, stomping out of the room and slamming the door behind her. Fee and Adora were left in a silence that was broken only briefly by the sound of Catra thudding as she ascended the stairs and the bedroom door banging shut behind her. They exchanged guilty glances.

“I think I may have taken that too far…” Adora sighed and made for the door, “I’ll go and get her back.”

Fee stood up, barring the girl’s path with an arm, “No, I should go. I am her mother, after all.”

The two of them debated for another minute before deciding that they would both talk to Catra, so Adora led her mother-in-law up to their bedroom and gently pushed the door open.

“Go away,” Catra was laid face down on the mattress and didn’t move as she talked into the pillow.

“Catra, I’m sorry,” Adora tentatively sat on the edge of the bed and began to stroke her girlfriend’s back, “I didn’t mean to make you feel embarrassed.”

She twisted round, propping herself up against the headboard and scowling at the two women, “Well you did. Both of you.”

“I’m sorry too,” her mother shot her a sympathetic smile, “I’ve only known the adult you for a few months, all my other memories were you as a kitten.”

“And that’s fine, is it?” Catra raised her eyebrows, “Is that why you visited, Mum? To make fun of me? I hoped you could meet Adora and be happy for me – maybe even proud that I’ve finally got someone who loves me and helps me through all the difficulties I have. But no, all you do is gang up and ridicule me. You just see me as a stupid girl to laugh at.”

The room went quiet as Adora and Fee took in Catra’s words. Both of them had wanted to keep the atmosphere light-hearted, but the realisation that they had done so at the expense of the young woman they both cared about gave them a strong sensation of guilt. They deserved the admonishment Catra was giving them and could do nothing but accept it.

Fee knelt on the bed and took hold of her daughter’s hand, “Catra, all the years I was without you I used to imagine what you were like. What kind of girl you were, what you were doing, what sort of woman you would grow into. Then I finally found you, and I got to see it for myself. Sweetie, the person you are today exceeded my wildest dreams. I cannot _begin_ to describe how proud I am of you – your home is amazing and as for Adora… I don’t think I have ever seen two people so in love. You both bring out the best in each other; that is beyond special.

“I’ve only known you for a few months, Catra, but every time I think about you, I’m filled with pride. Not just because you’re my daughter, but because you are an incredible young woman. The last thing I ever want to do is make fun of you. I showed Adora that photo and talked about the things you used to do because that’s all I really know. I’m sorry.”

Adora shuffled up towards them, “She's right, babe you’re an incredible person – smart, loving and _hella_ beautiful. So, do you think... maybe we can all start over?”

“I guess…” Catra clicked her tongue as she thought, “But you must promise that you’ll never use the word ‘hella’ again.”

“Deal,” she chuckled, leaning forward to kiss Catra’s cheek.

Fee smiled warmly, “You two are the cutest. I’m honoured to have you in my life. I mean, if you’ll let me?”

“We would love to, right Adora?”

“Right!”


End file.
